Baker dies after battling illness for quite a while. As Abigail Shield, his niece, told The Guardian: "He had problems with his lungs and was often in a wheelchair. He was very poorly for a long time. He was asked to go out to LA for the new Star Wars premiere but he was told he was too ill to travel. Luckily he did manage to meet George Lucas again when he came to Manchester."

While R2-D2 is a character that will continue to exist in the Star Wars universe, Baker was not going to be the actor in the suit. He served as a consultant on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Kenny Baker is survived by his two children. He will be missed.

Correction: His date of birth was listed incorrectly on several sites following his passing. That has since been rectified, and as such his age has been corrected, too.